Check out these amazing recordings of rain-drumming, beautifully explained in this video. I fell in love with the rain drumming recordings immediately and asked Tim, the recordist and producer, about the rules for working with them in the creation of new music. He replied that the short answer was yes, sent me the EULA, and wrote “My only (non-compulsory) request: I’d love to hear what you make!”.
Guitar + Rain. I’ll pursue it and see where that leads.
I see now why these are called “drums” rather than just “barrels.” Ottmar, as I listened to these recordings I began to feel it way down deep. It seemed some consciousness was creating the rhythm. A non-human, incorporeal conscious being sending a message. Maybe God!
I can’t wait to go listen to rainfall and other rhythmic nature sounds, like wind in trees. Trees sound more like music, with crescendos, pauses, phrasing. I’m going to take my Zoom microphone to Ireland, where there are more rain days than sunshine days.
P.S. How about public bells of all kinds? I saw a video about bell-makers in Italy and found myself moved by the sound of the bells and how much the bell-maker loved them. Cracking the mold to take out a newly created bell was like the birth of a baby. Then to hear the bells ringing all over the town of Agnone, Italy, brought tears to my eyes. It’s not a sound of nature, but it is so wonderful.